Napoli vs Cagliari predictions and betting tips – Serie A champions to march on

Napoli got their Serie A title defence off to a perfect start last weekend as they beat Sassuolo 2-0. Antonio Conte’s team will now be looking to make it two victories in two games when they face Cagliari.

Will this be another straightforward game for the champions, or could Cagliari throw a spanner in the works on matchday two?

• Napoli to win and over 2.5 goals – 10/11 with SBK
• Napoli to be ahead at half-time – 4/6 with Paddy Power 
• Scott McTominay to score or assist – evens with bet365

Napoli vs Cagliari odds

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Napoli vs Cagliari predictions

Napoli emerged triumphant on matchday one of the new Serie A season as the club aims to retain the title for the first time in its history.

Led by Antonio Conte, the Partenopei edged out Inter in the race for the scudetto last time out. It was a fine achievement in Conte’s debut season at the helm.

A year earlier, Napoli had finished 10th as defending champions. That was precisely where Chelsea had finished in 2015/16 having won the Premier League the previous campaign. 

On both occasions, Conte arrived in the summer and immediately took his teams to the title. This is a manager capable of making an impact if not quite from day one, then at least very early on.

Conte was unable to retain the championship with Chelsea in 2016/17. Having won the Serie A title with Inter in 2020/21, he immediately departed.

There had been talk of a similar exit at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona following Napoli’s triumph in May, but after talks with the club’s long-time owner Aurelio De Laurentiis, Conte decided to stay put.

“Managers and owners meet at the end of every season to review the season, to see how it went and find out whether or not they have the same vision for the future, and the same determination to go after particular objectives,” he said ahead of the new campaign. 

“That all seems normal to me. It happens at every club. There is a contract and seeing as we’re aligned on the vision we have for the club, there’s nothing else to say on the matter.”

Napoli kick-started the defence of their crown with a 2-0 victory over Sassuolo last weekend, as goals from Scott McTominay and Kevin De Bruyne made the difference at the Mapei Stadium.

De Bruyne is the headline addition of the summer for Napoli, but they have also brought in Luca Marianucci, Noa Lang, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Lorenzo Lucca, Sam Beukema and Miguel Gutierrez. Napoli now boast greater strength in depth and that should help them to balance domestic and European commitments.

For a manager of his ability, Conte’s record in the Champions League is distinctly average. It will be interesting to see how Napoli fare on the continent this term, but with Conte in charge Serie A will always be the bread and butter.

Napoli vs Cagliari betting tips

Napoli are strong favourites when they host Cagliari this weekend – will they get the job done?

Napoli to win again

Cagliari won promotion to Serie A in 2022/23 and they are now in their third season back in the top flight.

Davide Nicola was not retained as the club’s manager after a 14th-place finish last term, so Fabio Pisacane is now calling the shots at Sardinia’s biggest club.

A last-gasp equaliser saw Cagliari draw 1-1 with Fiorentina on matchday one, but this will be a much sterner examination of their credentials.

Napoli will want to turn on the style in their first home game of the campaign and we reckon there will be at least three goals in this one.

Overall, the champions should prove too strong.

Back Napoli to win and over 2.5 goals at 10/11 with SBK

Conte wants fast start

It did not take Napoli long to score their first goal of the season, with McTominay striking in the 17th minute on the opening weekend.

Conte will want to see his team make another quick start on Saturday evening – and we like their chances of being ahead at the interval.

Inter had a better record than Napoli in the first half of matches last term, so that is an area where the Partenopei can still improve.

Cagliari will aim to keep things tight in the opening 45 minutes, but that is easier said than done against this Napoli team.

The Partenopei should be ahead when the referee calls time on the first period.

Tip Napoli to be ahead at half-time at 4/6 with Paddy Power

McTominay can make impact again

What a season McTominay had in 2024/25.

The former Manchester United man scored 12 goals and provided four assists in a dream debut campaign in Italian football.

McTominay is an integral part of this Napoli team, where his forward runs into the box make him a genuine goalscoring threat.

Conte has given the Scotland international the license to break forward from midfield, and McTominay has made the most of it.

After scoring on matchday one, McTominay should be heavily involved against Cagliari too.

Select Scott McTominay to score or assist at evens with bet365

Napoli vs Cagliari predicted lineups

• Napoli expected lineup: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Olivera; Lobotka; Politano, Anguissa, De Bruyne, McTominay; Lucca.
• Cagliari expected lineup: Caprile; Luperto, Mina, Obert; Zappa, Adopo, Prati, Folorunsho, Idrissi; Luvumbo, Borrelli.

Where to watch Napoli vs Cagliari

• Location: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy.
• Date and time: Saturday 30th August, 7.45pm.
• How to watch: DAZN.

More Serie A predictions

We have plenty more Serie A predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

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